Road Trip
by estops
Summary: Les Amis decide to take a road trip for the summer. Eponine needs to find happiness, Enjolras and Cosette are hiding a secret, and some feelings just can't be hidden. e/e m/c are main ships, but others too.


**September 17th**

_To believe that happiness can be defined is impossible. Happiness is an emotion but one that is an enigma - you don't know what to expect of it. You don't know where you'll find it - some find it from a soulmate, some a career; but sometimes it's never found. I have. And I know now to keep it one must always strive to be happy._

As he looked over the array of photos, many with faces he recognized but some that he didn't. There were streams of pictures with couples kissing at famous monuments around Europe, groups of people passed out on a single mattress on a floor, seven people squashed into a small Honda Civic, and group shots with everyone's arms intertwined. He smiled to himself, overly-satisfied with his favourite student.

_A+ - You have exceeded my expectations for this project. I believe the future holds bright things for you. Thank you Eponine._

**5 Months Earlier**

Eponine sighed as she walked out of her final Russian lecture, glad to only have her final ahead of her as she strode to the Cafe Musain. Opening the door she saw Muschettia and Joly sitting at the counter, heads close, Muschettia smiling as Joly brushed a piece of her long brown hair behind her ear and he animatedly explained something to her.

"Hey 'Ponine," Eponine turned to see Marius entering the Cafe with his arm around Cosette, his girlfriend of 2 years, "How'd your Russian class go?"

"Horrible, I just really wish I had taken my language requirement in first year. " Eponine looked anywhere but the couple - finally catching Enjolras' eyes and sending a silent plea to save her.

"Language requirements are such a bitch. I just did my Chinese final and I'm just glad it's over." Cosette piped up. Eponine looked at the girl hanging on Marius' arm, she knew that Cosette had been trying to win her over since the girl and Marius had started dating, but Eponine still didn't want to be friends.

"I just don't understand why you didn't sign up for classes earlier 'Ponine," she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Enjolras out of the corner of her eye come up next to her, "then you wouldn't have been stuck in the situation of having to take Russian; when you could have taken Spanish or something easier."

She smirked up at the boy, glad for his arrival. "Well not all of us are as organized as you Enj." Cosette giggled and Eponine hooked her arm through Enjolras', "Speaking of organization and languages and finals, you need to help me study for my Russian final." and without another word she dragged Enjolras back to where all of his books were placed.

Moving some books around so that there was a space for her to sit down, Eponine pulled out her Russian textbook and her used laptop. Enjolras cringed at the puke green colour, even though the majority of the offending colour was hidden by various stickers the Eponine had stuck on the cover. "So I really just need help with genitive case, specifically neuter nouns," Enjolras nodded and for the next few hours he drilled her on almost everything in her textbook, even though Eponine insisted that they didn't need to know about prepositional case

"Well I don't think I'll fail thanks to you." she huffed, rubbing her eyes as Enjolras shut her book. "That was definitely the most rigorous session I've ever had."

"Most rigorous session of what?" Eponine looked up to see Grantaire walking towards them, smirking as he wiped his hands on his paint splattered apron. "Did you finally have sex with Enjy, 'Ponine?"

"We were studying Grantaire, get your mind out of the gutter." Eponine joined Grantaire's smirk as Enjolras' face turned beet red, "Although who would object if this golden statue asked?" Squeezing Enjolras' thigh under the table, he jumped and his eyes went wide. Scrambling to collect himself he bustled to the washroom, cheeks burning.

As Eponine giggled, she glanced up at the clock above Grantaire's head and widened her eyes. 3:38pm. "Shit." scrambling up she hastily shoved her Russian textbook into her bag and looked wildly around for her notes, "I have a meeting with my photography professor in two minutes I'm gonna be late." Finally noticing her notes lying by Enjolras' laptop with his messy scrawl all over the pages she grabbed them and rushed out the door.

Running had never been Eponine's strong suit and she grabbed her side as cramps began to shoot up. As her eyes darted to her watch she saw that she was already late, it was 3:57, and as she approached her professor's door she tried to calm her breathing and then knocked on the office door.

"Come in Eponine." a soft voice called from within, and as Eponine opened the door she saw her professor leaning against the wall with a book in his hands, eyes skimming the page. "How did your Russian studying go?" his eyes never left the page

"Fine, Enjolras is a huge help, thanks for the recommendation." she smiled and sat down opposite his chair, and after a few moments of silence added, in a voice that he might have missed if he hadn't been looking at her, "I'm sorry for being late Professor Feuilly, it was entirely my fault."

"It's not my time you were wasting, we have about 10 minutes, as this was intended to be a 30 minute meeting." his voice was stern but his face was soft - understanding even. "You are intending on taking my third year class correct?"

"Absolutely Professor."

"Good, I think you'll do well in the class. Everyone who signs up for the class is required to do a summer project." he saw her face fall slightly at this, the prospect of schoolwork during the summer, "but the project is whatever you want it to be."

"Anything? Anything I want?" her eyes were wary of his proclamation

"Well, it has to be a photography project obviously, but the subject matter is up to you." Her face lit up at the idea, "If you're stuck for ideas I have few for you."

"Yeah..."she said slowly, trailing off, lost in thought, "I'm kinda lost for ideas."

Feuilly considered the girl before him; he knew her story. Not that she had told him, but it was often evident. When she missed a class to take an extra shift at work, when the bruises were showing through her hastily applied makeup, when the half-moon circles under her eyes became more like full moon circles and when she cringed when her boyfriend's car showed up in front of the building after class. And when he told her his idea, her face fell into deep thought. "Define happiness? Professor... I'm not sure if you can tell, but I'm not -"

"I know," Feuilly took the seat opposite her, folding his hands and placing them on the desk, "That's why this is a perfect topic for you. You're not the happiest person, but no one deserves it more than you. I know how hard you work on everything: your family, your work, your school. Everything but your happiness."

"But, how - "

"That's up to you Eponine. Find something, someone, somewhere." he say her hesitation and added, "Remember, you can think of something else." he smiled and sat back in his chair, picking up his book where he left off; signaling their meeting over.

As she left her face was screwed up in thought, and she walked slowly. Less than a minute later her face appeared in the doorway, "Thanks Professor Feuilly." the smile on her face was one the most genuine that he had seen on her face; and then she disappeared.

Eponine's mind was in full gear as she walked away from her Professor's office, thinking up ways to define her happiness. In pictures no less. As her mind continued to work and wheel she found her feet bringing her back to the Musain; and when she was standing in front of the door, with her face still deep in thought, she saw her friends sitting at their usual table. Grantaire closest to the bar, holding a bottle by the neck, motioning to Mushettia, Joly and Bossuet's girlfriend and the barista, to bring him another one. Cosette and Marius beside him, whispering softly in each other's ears, giggling occasionally. Joly trying to gain Combeferres' attention to tell him about a new illness he believed he had, but the other man was too busy making eyes at the new girl Maria. Gavroche, Courfeyrac and Azelma were huddled together, Gavroche talking animatedly about something and Courfeyrac and Azelma holding hands under the table. Jehan hunched over his knee, making his newest bracelet and Bousset looking over him with scrunched up eyes trying to understand what Jehan was doing and how he was doing it. Then there was Enjolras, sitting by Azelma with a chair between him and Grantaire, a glass of water in front of him and his laptop perched on his thighs, an intense look on his face. Eponine stood outside the window for a few more moments, smiling at her friends; until Marius turned to get Maria's attention and saw her standing by the window. His smile widening, he motioned for her to come in and Eponine's stomach flipped. When she entered the cafe she was greeted with warm smiles and the offer of a drink from Grantaire, she took the last available seat next to Enjolras, knowing that Muschettia would sit between her boyfriends and Maria would want to be next to Combeferre.

"How did your meeting go?" Enjolras' eyes never left his papers in front of him

"Good, I was late." she saw his raised eyebrows, "I have to do a summer project about finding my happiness."

He chuckled at that and closed his laptop, placing it in his bag, "Have you figured out how you're gonna do that?"

"No, but I've got nothing better to do the project on."

"Well, think about what you like and what makes you happy," Enjolras' face fell into thought; Eponine smiled, knowing that he loved to help others with their work. "Oh! I know." his face lit up, "You love to travel, right?" when she nodded he continued on, his face getting more and more excited, "What about some sort of trip? Around Europe, like all of the greatest monuments?"

She nodded slowly, musing over the idea, "Problem - I don't have a car or the money." Enjolras furrowed his eyebrows, thinking of a solution.

"What about a road trip with all of us? Joly, Combeferre and I have cars, and if we all pitch in money for gas, motels and food then it won't cost that much." he spoke slowly at first and as he went on his voice sped up.

As the idea rolled around in her mind, Eponine's face began un-scrunching as she began to like the idea and her eyes traveled around to each of her friends, smiling and cringing at the thought of spending a few weeks road tripping with them. "I think I could do that."

Enjolras smiled at the girl who had so readily agreed to the idea that everyone had been planning for weeks. Everyone around the table had been planning for two weeks, they knew that Eponine deserved this. They knew how much she loved to travel and they knew that she needed a break, although she'd never admit it. "Great." he stood up to face their friends, "Hey guys!" as the group turned to face him, he saw on many of their faces that they knew what Eponine had said. "Eponine has agreed to the road trip!"

Eponine's face was a mask of pure terror as Cosette and Muschettia rushed over with huge smiles on their faces, and as the two girls began to chatter excitedly about the upcoming trip. He voice was hushed and filled with dread as she spoke to Enjorlas next, "You've been planning this, haven't you?"

He gave her a cross between a grimace and smile, as if he were a tad bit afraid of her, but gleeful about it, "Well, it was mostly Cosette and Gavroche. But we all agreed to it." As her gaze flitted around the room he noticed it lingering on Marius and Cosette smiling in the corner, his lips to her ear.

"Eponine my girl!" He saw her blink and few times, as if to remove the image from her memory, and turn with a smile on her face towards Grantaire, who was, for once, not drunk; "I hear you've agreed to our little trip about Europe?"

"I suppose I have, only if you're not coming along." she smirked as Grantaires' face fell for a moment, before he saw the smile on her face. Grabbing her waist he pulled he close and they began to waltz around the cafe, him singing to her obnoxiously, something that was usually reserved for when they were both drunken fools.

"I see that smile," Enjolras turned to see Cosette standing behind him, her hands on her hips and a knowing look on her face, "You told her that this was mine and Gavroche's idea, didn't you?"

"As it mostly was, I figured it was only fair that -" he was surprised when Cosette cut him off.

"Enjolras. I can tell you have feelings for her, and it was really you who thought of this great idea. She should know this." Cosette's voice was soft and understanding

"I can't do that. Not to her. Not now. Not after..." his voice broke and trailed off, his gaze traveling to Eponine, whose face was giddy and a tad red after dancing around the cafe. "Well, you know Cosette. I don't think it would be right."

"Not right to give her some happiness? Enj, she works so hard for her, Azelma and Gavroche to build a life away from what they had. She needs some happiness in her life. Just for her." her hand rested on Enjolras' arm, giving it a quick squeeze before dropping her hand and walking back to Marius and Muschettia. Enjolras' gaze followed her smiling, glad for once that him and the blond were friends, something he could only often say about Courfeyrac, Combeferre and sometimes Grantaire.

"Here," a warm cup of coffee found its' way into his hands via Eponine, "you looked kind of lost, I figured you needed a little something." She smiled up at him, taking in the crinkles around his eyes, the faint lines under his eyes from the nights of no sleep and the stray blond curls, peeking out from under his hat.

He smiled in gratitude and brought the rim to his lips, taking a long drink from the mug. His eyebrows screwed up in confusion as the coffee fell down his throat, tasting different. As he put the cup on the table, he saw Eponine's devious smile and her hands holding a bottle of whiskey.

"How was your "little something", monsieur?" her hands flying to her face to cover her growing smile. Enjolras' confused face eventually grew into a small smile at the thought of the idea of spending weeks with this girl, traveling Europe; and suddenly all he wanted was for her happiness to grow.


End file.
